Pen for Posterity
“Read assiduously and learn as much as you can.” – St. Jerome
The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by NYT’s best-selling author Lori Nelson Spielman is an absolute must-read, especially if you are looking for a fun jaunt through Italy. And, yes, everyone should have an Aunt Poppy in her life. Lori’s attention to detail is magnificent. You will go to Venice, Tuscany, and the Amalfi Coast. You will be surrounded by Italians on the mainland and abroad. She brings to life quirky and stubborn personalities, telling their stories in a way that makes you realize things are rarely as they appear. What we understand about someone’s life is but a drop of wine in a glass. You might not be able to book a flight to Italy right now, but you can go there in these pages!
When Dignity Came to Harlan had me turning pages faster than just about any novel I’ve ever read. I could not put it down and was barely able to take care of my daily tasks. Its deep South, early 20th-century setting and plot are authentic, earthy, rugged, and brave. Rebecca Duvall Scott wrote this true-to-life tale in such a way that Anna Beth Atwood’s tempest of truth is now seared into my heart and mind. Five stars are not enough, in my opinion. I can hardly wait to read the next book in this series, and I hope that this remarkable story makes its way to film. Every now and then a book passes in front of me that I know I will read more than once the minute I begin reading it. This is such a book.
The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise by Robert Cardinal Sarah is a conscience-moving and heart-tugging reminder that the internal peace and exceptional joy that humans seek are going to be found more quickly and in a more fulfilling way when we achieve holy silence. The good cardinal highlights that social media and other technology, along with materialism and consumerism–all of which the world tells us we must have to be happy and connected to others–can be summed up into one word: noise. The constant noise of all of these things will forever prevent us from true happiness. In order to achieve the peace and joy we seek, we must learn how to be silent. This book was a challenge for me and also a clarion call to be quiet so that I could hear the One who loves me with a burning desire: God.
